Page 56 of Only You

He didn’t. He just kept staring at the ring, even when she moved her hand to her side. She searched for an explanation, but none would save him from the betrayal of her decision. At the end of the day, there was no excuse. She had made the choice that everyone saw coming except for him.

Suddenly, laughter spilled out of him, hollow and painful.

Tentatively, she stepped towards him but was unable to do anything except watch as he broke.

He gripped his midsection as if he’d heard the funniest joke, as if his hands were all that kept him together.

She bit the inside of her cheek as a stubborn tear escaped.

What had she done?

She flinched when his laughter died out and his eyes met hers.

They practically flashed, and anxiety flooded through her.

He cupped her face, his eyes holding hers, and she shrunk beneath his gaze as he held her there.

His lips were soft as he kissed the tear away.

‘We never talked about us. Not one single moment,’ he murmured against her cheek, his lips dragging up to her ear. ‘Why talk about it now?’

She felt his hands tremble, his breath ghosting her lips, eyes full of sorrow. Despite her attempts to look away, he forced her chin up so she would have to face his pain. Another tear fell; he didn’t bother to take that one. ‘Get out,’ he rasped.

‘Demir…’ She reached out to touch him as his hands slid from her face. He didn’t step away, and they stood, chest to chest, as her hand hovered between them.

Jaw clenched, she forced her hand to return to her side. She tore her gaze from his to grab her coat and gloves before she left, the door slamming shut so loudly behind her, she jumped. She waited to hear something – a crash, a scream – but there was nothing, adding to the finality of his words.

Hands covering her mouth, she stepped back until her back hit the other side of the hallway, sinking to the floor and sobbing into her hands as devastation hit her full force, weighing down her heart.

‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured. ‘I’m so sorry.’

Distance would make the heart grow fonder if there was any fondness left to be had. Otherwise, all distance did was leave space to remember everything that had gone wrong.

Demir guessed he should have expected the latter.

‘Hey, can you focus?’ Jack snapped his fingers in front of Demir’s face, which the boxer smacked away. ‘Don’t be pissed at me. I told you not to practise yesterday. You know better,’ he growled in annoyance. ‘You better pay attention in the fucking ring.’

‘I always do,’ he answered nonchalantly.

Jack huffed before leaving the room. Finally. Demir stretched in an attempt to keep himself loose as he paced the back room. He was ready for the night to be over.

Stepping into the ring, he felt ready enough.

His opponent, Victor ‘Fury’ Stone, was a heavy hitter but lacked control, so, with a little patience, Demir quickly overtook him with a few well-placed hooks and jabs to the side.

The referee started the ten-second count, and Demir knew it was over by the time the referee hit eight.

He didn’t bother looking at the other boxer, already thinking of how long it would take to get home.

However, the thing about fighting was that every second counted. The tide could turn at any moment.

He was reminded of that when he looked towards the edge of the ring. Not because of Jack watching him with dollar signs in his eyes; he was used to that. It was the look of horror in Selene’s eyes. Her mouth was forming his name as he looked over his shoulder to see what was scaring her.

The fist came out of nowhere, and it felt like his jaw was being knocked into his brain.

He stumbled back as the fighter launched his whole body on him, putting his hands up and falling as his head spun until everything went black.

‘Demir!’

Selene was launching herself into the ring before she could think better of it, the referee finally able to pull Victor off Demir.

She crouched next Demir’s side, pulling out his mouth guard and using a nearby towel to soak up the blood pouring out his mouth.

His pulse was strong beneath her touch, and she scanned his body for any other wounds, but beyond the cuts on his face, there didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

Except he wasn’t moving.

‘Here.’ Jack held out her medical bag. She snatched it from him, practically tearing it open to grab hold of her penlight. Demir groaned, his eyes fluttering open for a moment.

‘Demir, can you hear me?’ She forced his eyes open, shining the light from one side and then the other. His reactions were delayed, but his eyes eventually found the light, his pupils constricting.

Behind her, the crowd was a cacophony, people running about while Jack looked like he was on the verge of a fistfight with the other coach. Demir blinked, his eyes focusing, and he reached up as if to grab the rope. Selene took his hand, squeezing it.

‘Hold on,’ she told him. ‘Hold on for me.’

He squeezed her hand tightly, not letting his eyes close again.

With Jack’s help, she managed to carry him out of the club and to the car.

They took Demir back to their apartment, where Jack called up John, the guy who had patched him up before she came along.

In the meantime, she stuck to Demir’s side, keeping him awake.

While she could diagnose him, she didn’t have any supplies to treat him beyond a bleeding wound.

Usually, she was against hospitals, especially since the closest one that would admit him was miles away.

This time, she kept a close eye on the car keys, ready to drive.

John came quickly, entering with a small duffle bag over his shoulder filled with any medicine he might need.

He reminded her of a gruff uncle that had seen too much.

Just as Selene expected, he didn’t say much of anything, just shooing her out of the away and getting to work.

She hovered nearby, watching the doctor closely.

Demir had told her that he was sloppy, and she was not taking any chances.

‘Mind getting us some water,’ John asked with a pointed look.

She scowled but went to the kitchen, nonetheless keeping an eye on John as she searched the cabinets for a glass, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Someone tapped her shoulder, and she jumped, quickly spinning to see Jack.

His tone was strangely neutral. ‘You all right?’

‘No,’ she snapped, filling the cup with tap water. ‘Don’t worry too much. He’s gonna be fine.’

‘This should have never happened.’ Her eyes were blazing as she pointed her finger at him. ‘I told you to switch fighters.’

‘Demir was on track—’

‘I’m sick of you not listening to me,’ she hissed. ‘And I’m tired of people getting hurt because of it.’ She started walking back, but Jack blocked her path, his gaze steely.

‘Who else is getting hurt?’

Selene glared, tempted to throw the water in his face. She couldn’t believe she’d ever found his jealousy attractive.

Ever since coming back from Demir’s apartment, she had felt unsteady.

She had tried her best to get back to normal, yet everything felt forced.

And in that moment, she was suddenly aware of how much she wasn’t the girl she showed Jack.

She hadn’t known how much she pretended until she realised there would never be a stopping point.

Before she could open her mouth to make a snide remark, there was a groan from the couch. Clutching the glass of water in her hand tightly, she stepped around Jack.

‘Demir, can you hear me?’ John asked.

‘…Yeah,’ he croaked.

Selene pressed the glass to his lips, tipping it so he could drink. She only stopped when he started coughing. John took away the cup and helped him up.

‘You’re okay,’ he said, his voice deep and soothing.

‘Just make sure you stay hydrated and don’t go to bed anytime soon.

Your head’s gonna hurt, so take these. One pill per meal.

’ He pulled an unlabelled bottle of pills from his bag, placing them on the table.

‘And try not to look in the mirror. You might crack it.’

Demir started to laugh but winced, clutching his head. John patted his shoulder before standing and going over to Jack, who was gazing at her suspiciously as she sat next to Demir. She fought not to scowl.

A little late for that , she thought bitterly. She looked at Demir, noticing he had closed his eyes. ‘Hey, hey.’ Selene shook him until they opened. ‘You need to stay awake.’

Demir sat in a daze until his gaze landed on her. She couldn’t help but stroke his face gently, her fondness for him battering against her chest. If Jack asked about it later, she could say she was just concerned. Another not-lie to dump in the distance growing between them.

‘You’ll be okay in a few days,’ she reassured him, not looking at Jack as he escorted John out. ‘But for now, you need to stay up. Okay?’

She waited for Jack to return but, after a few minutes, had a feeling he would be gone for a while. Maybe at a bar nearby. She frowned and got up to turn on the radio. Jack could stay out as long as he wanted; she doubted he would be useful right then.

She went back to the couch and placed a pillow on her lap, coaxing Demir to lay on it. ‘You need to elevate your head.’

He groaned as he laid back down, her fingers softly stroking his face and hair. Music filled the room, and his gaze focused on the ceiling.

Selene’s thoughts drifted back to the fight, images of Demir hitting the floor over and over flooding her mind.

She tried to stay quiet but every now and then a shaky sob snuck out.

For a moment, she had been sure he was gone…

she raised her hand to wipe away the tears, but Demir caught her wrist clumsily.

She paused and looked down at him. His eyes didn’t move from the ceiling.

‘Why are you here?’ he asked, his voice monotonous. Another shudder ran through her as he waited for her to answer.

She didn’t.

It was only when sunlight filled the room that she finally let him drift off, enough time having passed for him to be out of danger. She let out a shaky breath as she kissed the back of his hand.

‘I don’t know.’

When Demir woke up alone on the couch, he was tempted to stay for the day. He wanted Selene to take care of him a little longer, imagine a different life for a few more moments. But, between the ring on her finger and the notebook Selene left on the table, he knew he had overstayed his welcome.

He shouldn’t have opened it, but curiosity of his condition got the best of him.

At first, it was just as she said, notes about his injuries and recovery.

Then it changed. Rows and rows detailing his fights and opponents filled the pages.

Quick notes about who was ‘too strong’ and who he should fight again littered the margins.

Dollar amounts that looked like something out of a gambler’s notepad next to Nora’s number.

He’s trying to get in good with the coaches to see if they rig fights.

To think he believed she cared about him when this whole time, it was all about New York. Granted, didn’t he already know her and Jack were the same from the beginning?

He scoffed at his own foolishness. He wanted to be angry, but he was simply exhausted.

So, when Selene had run to the store, he slipped out.

He took the long way home, wondering how he got here and why the hell he was staying.

So often, he ran around with questions in his head, when the answer was quite simple.

By the time he entered his apartment, he had clarity that made it easy to pick up the ringing phone.

‘D, what the hell is going on?’ Jack snapped. ‘I came home and Selene was a mess worrying about you. God knows how many times I had to stop her from running around town to look for you or going to the police!’

‘Jack,’ Demir spoke, his voice deceptively calm. ‘I quit.’